Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 18th April, 2025)

A very handy shop indeed . Saves having to go down town for a bag of nails or a tin of paint ..

The scaffolding on the church has now reached the weather vane and the Union Jack is flying magnificently from the summit .

A very handy shop indeed, much better than having to by a big packet of screws when you only want one.
With the iron clad church steeple, in the back ground this makes an interesting photo. Nice & bright.

Good old England whats left off it i am glad that there is a traditional hardware shop what is still exhisting in these backward times, Easter is not the same as it used to be anymore people dont respect it anymore lie we all used to.

It's doomed, I'm afraid, the public doesn't want shops like this anymore.

Poet, I sent a photo to PAD at the time they reached top and flew the Union Jack.
There was one problem though as shown on my photo, the flag was upside down!
It has since been corrected.

St George's day 23 April

A lovely photo. I love shops like that; they used to be everywhere at one time. I love to come across a hardware shops or butchers' shop in market towns, with nicely-set-out goods and personal service. Standish thankfully still seems to have some individual shops.

As a progressive multicultural society the Union Jack and the monarchy are not deemed appropriate by many people.

sure its called union flag on land and union jack at sea but my be wrong

Far better than the
“ Pound Shops” with the ‘cheap Jack’ merchandise. I don’t believe these hardware shops are dying out - not where I live anyway.
You might pay a bit more but the quality is better.

Correction! I’ve just been passed and it still fluttering upside down.

As a progressive, multicultural society Abdul your comment is not deemed appropriate by many people.

Did the fine wine shop not survive or did the idea not take off ?

Many people don’t like the so called multicultural society, so Abdul if you don’t like our traditions and values do us all a favour and go back to your Islamic Republic and take a few of your mates with you.

Yes no wonder the union jack and the monarchy are not deemed by people when these retards are running this country and bowing down to other people when they think that they are trying to takeover they may think that they have but they are not going to!

To right D Tease not a appropriate comment England is a british country and all i can say if you dont like it move out!

In other words deem on…we’ve always been a multi cultural society for centuries it’s not made a blind bit of difference to the flag.

On good friday jesus was crucified that is what good friday means and people should respect that, that is what we do in this country always have and always will be that what us in this country remember for many more years to come.

This business opened when Castelli’s closed their shop on the High Street. We have bought a few items from them but being a small shop they don’t have great variety but wish them well.
A.B. Hardware formerly Bewley’s in Shevington still seems to do really well, a much larger shop and sells most everything. We were always in there when we lived in Shevington and often prices were cheaper than B&Q.

The multicultural cultural society only exists for some. A lot of places are enclaves and there are third and fourth generation who never speak to any one except their own kind and do not speak English this is why official forms are in different languages or they need an interpreter at the doctors or the hospital. Abdul if you don't like it go back to the country that your family originated from. The union flag (on land)should have the large white flag showing on the upper section and nearest the flag pole . If the narrow white cross is upper most to to flag pole then this is a sign of distress

Old shops always have a unique smell about them and when you smell a smell, it can trigger a memory of an old shop.

Such as .......

Decaying Wood in a Wet Forest - Old Market Hall
Sweet Biscuity Aroma - Woolworths
Linseed Oil - Crank & Burtons
Fudge - Sweet shop at the side of the Court Cinema
Rubber - Oliver Somers
Rubber - Surgical Stores on Hallgate
Weird Smell - The UCP
Antiseptic and Death - Browns Dentist
Sawdust - Mark Williams Butchers
Blood and Urine - Blutos
Chicken in a Basket - Tiffanys
Hot Pies - Pooles
Disinfectant and Plastic - Oobidoos
Straw - Tom Whalleys

Abdul, far from it being a multi cultural country, I doubt that that such utterance about the monarchy or flag would be tolerated in Saudi Arabia.
So I would respectfully advise that you keep your opinion to yourself.

Lovely to see this shop, I hope they do well. We too have a few small local shops - hardware, butcher, bakery, delicatessen selling local cheeses, dressmaking and clothing repairs, and a sweet shop. The public certainly does use these shops, and long may they last.

'sure its called union flag on land and union jack at sea but my be wrong@. Either term is valid.

Sadly I must agree with Abdul on this one. England is the only member of the 4 nations which flies this flag. Many English are embarrassed to sing the national anthem as they don't hold the king in high esteem. As for the former British colonies - you only have to see the reception they get if they go there.

Veronica, most of the stuff they sell in that shop will be made in China, cheap crap, just like in the “Pound Shops” you mentioned. And the same goes for the hardware shops in Westhoughton. Or anywhere else for that matter.

That’s your opinion John Noakes. I always buy the best I can afford and there are places you can get good merchandise not in pound shops. That’s a fallacy as well “for a pound!” Ok for kids to buy scrap books and cheap plastic rubbish.

Why do people constantly refer to the Union Flag as a Union Jack ?
The Jack has a white border round all four sides and it is commonly flown on the jack staff of a navy warship.

Well said, Alan P. As your brother was a sea captain then you should know.

Sir Bob, I could not agree with you more re unique smells.
Certainly Bewleys had its own, also Wigan Infirmary and phenolic go together,
Chadwick’s butchers had sawdust and blood
Thanks for the aroma memories
One more was Shevington post office - brown paper and ink

Veronica, I'm very sorry to tell you that it's not a matter of opinion, it's plain fact. Even Bulldog tools are made in India and China nowadays.

Yet again Dennis, all this controversy over a brush and bucket outside of a shop. Lovely picture though.

We’re only short of Ger-Ger-Ger Granville and his bare-bare-bike!

No matter where you go to shop nowadays John Noakes you will find that almost all the products are Made in China. It may say packaged in the UK or EU, but the contents have been manufactured in China.
In the 1980s I remember that their products were cheap and flimsy, and most folks had bought one of those hammers that bent over when knocking in a nail or pulling one out.
But after their skills had improved and them buying up all of the manufacturing machines and tools from the British firms that were going bust, the Chinese goods are just as good, with some saying an even better quality as they ever were when produced in the UK or EU.

If you go into those Pound Shops then remember it's buyer beware, even so there are some better quality bargains to be had in there if you look.

As Veronica says we have an excellent DIY shop In Howfen people come from miles around to buy their and it’s decent gear I must have spent a fortune there over the years and if they haven’t got what you want they will get it within reason.

Yep even fork handles.

So true, maybe we all are as 'daft as a brush'
I'm sure there's a brush outside that shop for every job imaginable.

Some of B&M stuff is rubbish as well. I bought some ‘’super glue’’ to stick the broken arm on one of my Lladro ladies. I’m not kidding I read the instructions and did everything they said and guess what? I may as well have used chewing gum. The arm is still not stuck! Perhaps I should take it to Royal Bolton..

I bought a Chinese ballcock once, but the ball fell off! I mean, what use is a ballcock without a ball?

I have a flag pole in my back garden and have four different flags.
I am flying the Union Flag at the moment Correct way up
On Wednesday I will fly the England flag for St Georges day
Then the OLD Lancashire flag -White with the Red Rose( new flag has a golden yellow background) don't like the new colour.
I also have the Skull and Crossbones which I fly when the grand kids visit

Peter P, did you have a EU flag before we left?

OR no why should I? I had a day trip to Wales last year was going to get a Welsh flag but no where had a 3'x5' flag also was tempted while I was in Malta but again did not bother. If I fancy a flag there are plenty of sites online where they are about a fiver each